If you're visiting Abu Dhabi, and you love taking photos, you can't miss the Grand Mosque. Literally, you can't miss it. It was the first thing I saw from the sky when we flew in by plane and one of the few things you can't miss when driving through to the city. The place is huge and 'Grand' is so appropriate!
When taking photos of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, there are a few things you'll need to know…
Light is important. I recommend going at sunset, or even an hour or two before it. Then wait for the light to dip and then get some night images too.
Time is something you’ll need to both account for as well as have patience with. Just getting into the mosque takes about 20mins, through security and the walkways under ground. But you’ll also need to have some patience. The way the flow of traffic works is circular and so they’ll be clumps of people and then gaps where you can then shoot without the hoards of traffic blocking your shot. Just be patient, if you’ve given yourself time, use here it to get the shot you’re after.
I also always recommend respecting the local customs and rules and laws. You also need to book before you arrive via the website, here they’ll go over some of the rules too. Just don't be the one who tries to bypass them to get a unique shot. You'll only look like the ignorant one. Don't be that guy.
DRESS RULES
There are some dress rules for women (and men), if you do this right it'll actually play into your hands for some great portrait photography too. Women need to cover their hair, and arms to the hands and legs over the ankles. A full-length dress and scarf usually will get you by. Otherwise, there's a bunch of shops near the entrance which sell clothing appropriate to enter. Men are less restrictive, no shorts or sleeveless shirts. Updated rules can be found on the mosque's website.
When thinking of clothing, think about the colours and style of dress you might want to shoot also. We opted for complementary pastel colours, as the Mosque has a load of white, gold and soft greens, oranges, yellows and blues during the day. But many usually go for darker colours to contrast. At night, again the lights turn on and all the white turns blue with the lights so you'll need to think about that again.
OTHER RULES
Security guards man every 20 metres of this place and they are well trained in the art of telling you what you're doing wrong. If a women's hair is showing too much, you're shooting photos or video from a space that's not designated (yes you can only do this from small set areas where small signs show you where you can shoot from), the guards will let you know very quickly. Don't attach any microphones to your cameras and don't bring any lenses larger than 300mm either, they'll confiscate them or not let you enter either. 70-200mm should be fine here and really you won't be shooting much at the long end anyway. I only shot up to 85mm. Phone photos and videos are no issue at all.
COMPOSITION
One thing I found difficult was finding a composition from the set areas to shoot from. I could see many shots I would have loved to take, but from spots where I wasn't allowed to shoot. But this is how it is, so we must work around it. Even still, there's so much symmetry and beauty in this place it's hard not to find a good photo also. I generally looked for frames, symmetry or archways with a person or other part of the structure. The lines are magnificent and if you're around during golden hour, the light streaming through at sunset is amazing.
OUTSIDE THE MOSQUE
Another great spot to shoot the mosque from is over the road at Wahat Al Karama (Oasis of Dignity). It offers incredible reflections and getting there just before sunset will give you almost two different images. There are no real restrictions here too, apart from 'no video' but phone video seems fine for them. As always be respectful. Be mindful that there is a highway running between the water and the Mosque so you might get a few cars in your shot. Just wait for a gap or shooting wide will make them small so you barely see them.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to hit me up via instagram
As a travel and lifestyle photographer, one thing I get asked a lot about is my favourite destination. Forever the explorer in me, I can't definitively say I have an outright fave, as there's too much of this world I've yet to see! But what I can say is Port Stephens is certainly up there with the best of them. We've been lucky enough to visit this beautiful part of the NSW coast twice in as many weeks for a bit of work and a bit of play. Just the way it should be.
Our most recent visit, we took the little ones with us. We stayed at The Loft Corlette, a beautiful recently renovated 2-bedroom holiday home in Corlette, inside the bay. This place is immaculately styled with soft neutral hues, just my style and perfect if you love taking photos indoors, which we do :)
It's my kinda place
So many features in this place
We even shot a few product campaigns while we stayed here, it's just perfect for it. There's just so many little nooks to take advantage of. We'd highly recommend this spot. It's a short stroll to your closest beach or a quick drive to all the local spots I recommend below.
Post beach dry out spot - Natural Light Heaven
Happy wife, Happy life
There's a couple of no-brainer spots you MUST visit while here. One being Zenith Beach. It's right up there with one of my favourite beaches in the world. Crowned on either side with picturesque mounts (Tomaree and Stephens Peak). The water is often very clear and blue, the sand is light and if you're lucky you might even spot a whale or a dolphins passing by. In my experience, it's rarely busy and the view of the ocean is ridiculously good here and you won't regret a visit.
Zenith Beach - One of the best around
Mid-winter didn't stop me from hopping in this beautiful water
While we're at it, we may as well mention the other parts of this area that make it special. To the south you can drop into Box and Wreck beach which are both amazing and further south again you can walk over Fingal Spit over to Shark Island. But keep in mind the tides, as the spit might disappear on you and you'll be left to swim back.
The view out to Shark Island
Stockton Bight Sand Dunes, in the Worimi Conservation Lands. This is such a special part of the Australian coastline. These dunes are the largest coastal dunes in the Southern Hemisphere. It's popular with a bunch of people, mostly 4WD enthusiasts but also people who want to take a camel ride, sand board or those who just want to enjoy the incredible 32kms sand dunes with a camera, like me. Our girls had the BEST time of our whole trip here. Even though it was a little cold and windy, they didn't care one bit! We stayed til it was dark and in the morning all they wanted was to go back.
I hope you enjoy the visual journey, here's a few more shots from the dunes, if you want to see more be sure to check out the PORT STEPHENS Prints or follow along on instagram where I'll be posting more of my work from this beautiful part of the world.
Cheers
Ben
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Well for the first time in a while, we're able to venture out with some common sense attached. So that's what I did. It was a nice little break from the busy life, but I needed some space to shoot again
]]>Instagram, along with a bunch of different social platforms have algorithms that can make anyone trying to find some significance go crazy!
]]>But every now and then, you find a sweet spot that seems to tick all the boxes of the mysterious 'algo' and it just works. That's what happened to me with one Instagram post I did a few years ago.
So in this video, I go through this image and what it did for me, both from a social media point of view, but also from a professional point of view. How it put me on the map, so to speak.
]]>It's been an interesting start to the year! It seems every day is a new cancellation of something. Next, it'll be the end of life as we know it. Ok jokes, but there's definitely a few people out there buying up groceries like it is!
]]>It's these haunting stories that give Piha its reputation. But these stories only tell part of the story. Piha has a beauty that not many other beaches have.
Getting to Piha, we had to drive down a winding narrow(ish) road (the kids literally felt sick by the drive!). You then arrive at the lookout where you can get your first glimpse from a height. Views come from the south side and stretch right through to the north side.
We decided to go in the late afternoon so to catch the sunset, as this beach faces west. I'd have to say this was a good move! Just beware of the mosquitos after dark! There are millions of them!
The reason I love this beach
It is a huge flat black sand beach, which also has a high level of iron so it'll stick to any magnets you bring here. But because the sand is flat and dark it makes for very beautiful reflections. Add the frame of towering cliff faces, rock formations like Lion rock, which you can also climb and you have the perfect recipe for beautiful photographs.
Lion Rock
I didn't manage to get many shots of Lion rock as I was too mesmerized by everything else. There so many areas to explore, including the Lion itself. Climbing the rock is easy and takes about 5-10mins (depending on your level of fitness) to get halfway up. You can only get halfway as the rest has been closed. I took my 6 year old, Harper, and we did it barefoot, so it's relatively easy. But this little climb will give you some incredible vistas to take some shots from so it's worth checking out.
Here are some of the shots I took from the incredible Piha beach. Hope you enjoy.
Cheers
Ben
I have to say, Kauai was a huge eye-opener. There was no fuss about it on social media at all at this time and I was completely bowled over by its beauty, its mystery and its people. I had not experienced this feeling in a long time and immediately, I knew we had to return only a few days into that trip.
Fast forward to 2019 and we'd finally managed to work a return trip into our schedule! Like New Zealand previously, I wanted to make a film about its beauty and how we, as a family, connected to it. There's a bunch more I want to write about Hawai'i and in particular Kauai, but for now, enjoy this film and if you have any other questions feel free to hit me up.
Cheers
Ben
Ben Mackay
Owner of Ocean Feels from Sydney, Australia. A self-confessed ocean lover, creative, explorer and champagne party trick enthusiast.
It was the girls first time at Scenic World and riding the steep train down and the two cable cars. Needless to say, they absolutely loved the whole experience (as we, the parent's did too!). It's always good for the soul going out to the Mountains, but especially when the weather cools down and a chill fills the air. It feels right in the mountains when the temperature drops. There's that peace you really don't get anywhere else.
Now this was our 2nd time to Scenic World in a few months, the first time was just me and Krystal. Here's a quick little video of when we last went...
If you're keen on checking out the exhibition, you can visit https://www.sculptureatscenicworld.com.au/exhibition/
Ben Mackay
Owner of Ocean Feels from Sydney, Australia.
A self-confessed ocean lover, creative, explorer and a solid World Top 100 Pancake maker.
One of the shots from Moke Lake near Queenstown
So here it is, a few minutes (mainly by drone) of what we saw. I really hope you enjoy it! Feel free to hit me up on Facebook or Instagram if you have questions about New Zealand.
Ben Mackay
Owner of Ocean Feels from Sydney, Australia. A self-confessed ocean lover, creative and 'strongest man in the world' according to his kids.
Hey there!
So Sydney (and the greater Sydney area) is probably the best place in the whole of Australia when it comes to a concentration of different areas to fly your drone... legally. I've sent plenty cameras skyward and I think Sydney has the goods.
So as an avid flyer of all sorts of drones, let me tell you about my secret spots and my not so secret spots. As well as the best times to visit and all the other good stuff. As you'll soon see by the list, it's mainly coast line orientated as it is Sydney, you know, the city by the sea. Flying in and around the harbour and the CBD isn't allowed anyway, it's a no fly zone. There are some ways of getting some city skyline shots legally too. If you're after that, just message me on instagram and I'll send you a few spots to fly from. So you can expect this list to be a little bias toward the ocean, given it's written by a self confessed ocean lover. But in all honesty, Sydney's best places to fly your drone are around the beaches anyway. So let's go on and have a look at some of those places.
Here's my personal favourite places in Sydney and the surrounding areas to fly your drone:
An Australian icon and an obvious selection. From the northern point at Ben Buckler, to southern point past Icebergs (pictured above). Bondi is just a hub for not just drone images, but photography in general. It boasts one the best beaches in the world, with some of the cleanest waves you'll find. The balance of colour between the sand the water makes for some the best top-downs around. You only need to see Icebergs at sunrise everyday to see how popular this place can get and for good reason. But it's the mix of city and sea which really makes Bondi a top pick. Do keep in mind there are 30m height restrictions in place as this place has some low flying aircraft cruising around.
Best times to visit: Morning during sunrise or Sunset. Amazing weather during the summer months but all year is fine too.
See more in our Bondi Prints
So these two are super close to Bondi, but for the sake of this article and also how big Bondi is, I'll leave Bondi on it's own and give Tama & Bronte their own props.
Both of these beaches are cute and small, but pack a punch when it comes to the beauty department. Because of their close proximity, you can pretty much sit on the waters cliff edge in between the two and fly to both these spots and get all the photos and film you need. The water is generally clean and clear as are the waves. You might spot a seal, shark, dolphin or even a wild local surfer. A fan favourite is surely the world famous Bronte Rock Pool.
Best times to visit: Morning sunrise or mid morning for some vibrancy in your top downs of the water.
From rock formations on the beach to rocks inside the pool, Curl Curl turns it on for all drone enthusiasts. You can walk around the north side toward the rock pool and fly from the high cliff edge, but take care it's a decent height to fall from. The pool is the main subject here, however I generally love how the sand meets the waves as it seems to always provide some amazing textures as the water falls off back into the sea. The colours contrast so nicely also as the sand here is slightly deeper shades of orange.
Best times to visit: Morning sunrise or mid morning for some vibrancy in your top downs of the water
Mahon Pool is a favourite.
The pool shines blue on a bright day and the rock formations around it offer some amazing frames. You'll often have swimmers in the pool too.
The beach
It's a surfers dream and in good conditions can provide some clean open waves and tasty compositions in the water
Not often visited by many drone goers, but top beach location all the same.
Best times to visit: Morning sunrise, be on the lookout for colour in the skies as this will help get the most out of the emerald clean water.
A hidden gem, a little drive from the centre of Sydney toward cronulla. The beach sits in a bay protected from the open ocean, so the water here is not very rough. But it does make for some beautiful lines in the wash along the sand. A extra tip is to also head to the sand further in land for some interesting compositions.
Best times to visit: Morning or afternoon when the light is good.
Some other notable omissions but very much still worthy of checking out is: Balmoral Beach, Mona Vale, Barranjoey Lighthouse, Cronulla and Shelly Beach.
Is there something I should have included? Feel free to let me know. If you want to see more from Sydney or Australia in general check out my instagram page: Ben Mack Instagram
Cheers
Ben
Ben Mackay
Owner of Ocean Feels from Sydney, Australia. A self-confessed ocean lover, creative and 'strongest man in the world' according to his kids.